Akala review: A diverse artist and gifted speaker

Akala. Photo: Courtesy of Covered PR (Image: Courtesy of Covered PR)

Akala is a refreshing figure on the stage with just his microphone, a DJ and a live drummer.

His unbelievable breath control and precise technical flow just blew the audience away at The Waterfront, proving how extremely multitalented the man is.

Luckily for fans, the 'Visions' tour serves up plenty of his trademark political bite and his burning intellect. He is at his musical best when his dreads are bouncing around his shoulders and the crowd are shouting and waving their hands in the air.

We were taken on a journey through his musical career, in which he performed a variety of old and new songs, complimented by video backdrops.

The performance was much more than a musical experience. He opened the set with a video of himself followed by a montage of professionally edited politically charged media clips.

When the music started, he came to life taking authority over the crowd – with the drums adding to the electrifying atmosphere in the building.

The highlight of the evening for me was the sombre violin strings that played alongside images of military conflict during his track 'Ruins Of Empires'. This made for a surreal experience which resulted in most of the crowd and I getting goose bumps.

His ability to speak and condense hundreds of years of complex social issues; whilst also performing bouncy tracks like 'Roll Wid Us' and 'XXL', just proves what a diverse artist and gifted speaker he is. He left the entire audience in awe of his depth of knowledge and presence on the stage.